Petco To Ban Artificial Ingredients In Pet Food It Sells

Petco today announced that it would be phasing out selling dog and cat food with artificial ingredients. Being a multiple pet owner (1 dog, 3 cats) this is big news. In a letter posted on Petco's website, CEO Ron Coughlin, made the announcement. In the letter, Coughlin states:

" Today, we're making a commitment to not sell dog or cat food and treats with artificial colors, flavors or preservatives – making us the first and only major retailer of pet food to take a stand against such ingredients. We'll start removing products that don't meet our new standards in January 2019, and complete the process by May....

Because at the end of the day, we believe if it's good for pets, it's good for us." - Ron Coughlin CEO Petco

The majority of Petco's products don't contain artificial ingredients, Coughlin told The Associated Press in an article published Tuesday. He said if there's any unsold food by May it will be donated to animal shelters.

This is a really big step in pet nutrition, on a "big box store" level. From the standpoint of a pet owner, this is something my wife and I have tried to embrace, putting natural foods into our pet's diets. I called up a long time friend and successful businesswoman Michelle Nelson of The Pet Authority in Albert Lea which is a pet specialty store that has been at the forefront of pet nutrition for a long time.

Michelle hadn't heard the news when I called her, but she wasn't too surprised as larger companies have seen customers leave for specialty stores where there is more of a loyal following.

If you are a Petco shopper you might want to check your pet foods ingredients list to make sure that they will continue carrying your product.